Conference calls made cheap

The second time Frank LaRocca used Free Conference, he was justifiably nervous.

Sure, the service had worked as advertised during a brief, insignificant initial test call. But call No. 2 for the Glen Rock attorney was with a judge, and a system failure would have been embarrassing.

He needn't have worried, LaRocca said. "It worked fine."

Not only did the conference calling go through without a flaw, but it was also free, except for the cost of the call to a telephone center in the Midwest.

That made LaRocca a believer.

web conference callings is the brainchild of Dave Erickson. In six years, it has attracted more than 500,000 customers making 1.5 million connections a month.

Many of them are attorneys like LaRocca, but the California-based conference-calling service has attracted a variety of other businesses seeking a low-cost Conference calling alternative to AT&T and other providers, Erickson said.

The premise is simple. Go to the company's Web site, provide your name and e-mail address, get assigned a telephone number, access number, and PIN code, and you have immediate access to conference-calling services 24/7.

The cost? Zero.

Could this be the proverbial "free lunch" that supposedly doesn't exist?

In a way it is, LaRocca said. He has used the service numerous times since signing up nearly two years ago, and hasn't paid a cent except for his long-distance call into the conference center. And he doesn't even pay that when he uses the unlimited minutes he gets on his cellphone plan.

Before discovering Conference Calling , LaRocca was paying $20 to $40 -- and as much at $100 -- for a typical call.

That doesn't mean Erickson's company is a non-profit. It makes money through marketing fees paid by telephone service providers with excess capacity. Most are located in places like South Dakota, Iowa or Minnesota, "places that don't have population growths to lean on," he said.

In addition, he has used the free conference calling as a springboard to other telecommunications services, including toll-free and flat-rate calling.

"The idea is to generate revenue in a traditional fashion," Erickson said.

He declined to discuss the company's finances except to say that it is growing 10 percent a month and that he expects to continue growing "at a pretty good clip."

Nearly three-quarters of new customers come from referrals, he said. People are attracted by the service being free, but "the key to our success has been reliability," he said.

The average call involves six people being on the line for 33 minutes, but the service can be used by two people or 96 people for up to six hours at a time.

LaRocca, who specializes in family and matrimonial law, says the service is ideal for attorneys for several reasons.

Because there are no costs beyond the phone call, no one has to worry about who will pick up the tab and bill it to a client.

It's a "Dutch lunch," in which everyone pays his own way, Erickson said.

"When you're in the midst of an argument, you're not thinking about the [cost]," LaRocca said. "But when you hang up the phone, you do. When you write the check, you do."

At the end of the call, the customer receives call details, including who was on and for how long, Erickson said. "It looks similar to a bill, but there are no charges."

Customers also can request a recording of the call, and that can be played for clients and associates, LaRocca said. The recording also can be e-mailed to associates, who can listen at their convenience.
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